Full Text of HR0646 96th General Assembly
HR0646 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 |
| Representatives are pleased to congratulate Kevin J. Bell on | 4 |
| the occasion of being named to serve as Chair of the Board of | 5 |
| Directors of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums; and
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| WHEREAS, Kevin Bell is a New York native who was literally | 7 |
| raised on the grounds of the world-famous Bronx Zoo; his | 8 |
| family's house was located behind the reptile house, where they | 9 |
| lived while his father served as the zoo's curator of birds; | 10 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, Being raised in a culture of deep commitment to | 12 |
| wildlife, Kevin Bell has devoted his entire life to | 13 |
| conservation; in 1976, at the age of 23, he was hired to serve | 14 |
| as Lincoln Park Zoo's curator of birds, making him the youngest | 15 |
| curator in the zoo's history; in 1993, he was selected to serve | 16 |
| as the zoo's director; and
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| WHEREAS, At Lincoln Park Zoo, Kevin Bell was instrumental | 18 |
| in leading the zoo's $125 million capital campaign, which | 19 |
| created new, state-of-the-art, award-winning animal habitats | 20 |
| and developed an endowment to secure the zoo for future | 21 |
| generations; during his tenure, he has overseen the creation of | 22 |
| one of the leading zoo-based conservation and science programs |
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| in the country, with ongoing conservation efforts locally and | 2 |
| around the world; his most recent undertaking, "Nature | 3 |
| Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo", is slated to open in the spring | 4 |
| of 2010; the Nature Boardwalk is a $12 million ecological pond | 5 |
| restoration effort designed to create a natural ecosystem in | 6 |
| the middle of a city where people can immerse themselves in | 7 |
| nature; and
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| WHEREAS, Kevin Bell currently serves as President and CEO | 9 |
| of Lincoln Park Zoo and is an active leader within the AZA | 10 |
| community; his fellow zoo directors, conservationists, | 11 |
| scientists, and other AZA professional members first voted for | 12 |
| him to serve on the AZA Board of Directors in 1999; he was then | 13 |
| elected to the position of Chair by the AZA membership, which | 14 |
| is comprised of 6,000 members representing 217 accredited zoos | 15 |
| and aquariums; as Chair, he will lead the 13-member Board of | 16 |
| Directors for one year and will be involved in every aspect of | 17 |
| the national organization, including strategic planning, | 18 |
| accreditation, ethics, animal welfare, and conservation; and
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| WHEREAS, The AZA's many accredited zoos and aquariums will | 20 |
| undoubtedly benefit from Kevin's extensive experience and | 21 |
| strong leadership; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 23 |
| NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we |
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| congratulate Kevin J. Bell on the occasion of being named to | 2 |
| serve as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Association of | 3 |
| Zoos and Aquariums and wish him continued success and happiness | 4 |
| in the future; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 6 |
| presented to Kevin Bell as a symbol of our esteem and respect.
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